Where Is Your Heart?

Where Is Your Heart?

Basketball

- The audience participates in distracting the opposing team by banging annoying cylinder things together.

- When I played basketball in school, our girls volleyball team would always be there, acting as our cheerleaders. Now, we had a really good team, pretty intimidating team. Our record for the season was 34-2. But I can remember a few times where we in tight spots. I remember that the girls volleyball team would try to help us out by yelling out chants. They would say, “If you think you’re better, ahhh whatever,” to distract our opponents.

Football

- If you’re not cut out to play football, then I would highly discourage you from playing. Talk about distractions! These “bigger than life” boys will do almost everything to distract you. From yelling at you on the scrimmage line, talking about your mama and if that isn’t enough, they’ll let you know your place after they pulverize your face in the grass.

Baseball

- There is a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves. The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, “Henry, you’re holding the bat wrong. You’re supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark.” Aaron didn’t say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, “I didn’t come up here to read.”

Distraction in War

- In war, one of the most common and effective strategy is that of distraction.

- A small group will distract the enemy to draw their attention to them (usually called a Frontal Assault), while a larger group started an attack from the opposite side. Most of the time, this was done to weaken and possible destroy the enemy or have them surrender.

Another Example of Distraction

- There were a group of thieves that used distraction and only distraction to successfully rob grocery stores, convenience stores and other places.

- A couple of the thieves would go in the place they were going to rob and then start a fight or quarrel amongst themselves, totally distracting the employees and other shoppers. Then the other thieves would go in and steal goods or money.

- Most of the time, the places that were robbed didn’t find out until days or weeks after the robbery took place.

Distractions in the Bible

- Some may not think that this is not an example of distraction but I certainly do.

- It takes place when Joshua and the Israelites were about to get victory over Jericho and the Lord, through Joshua, commanded the people to march around the city wall once a day for seven days and on the seventh day, march seven times.

- Joshua 6:10 – “But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!"

- I don’t know about you but if I had thousands of people walking around me and my city for seven days, without saying a word, without yelling the war cry, I’d be freaking out!

- I would probably be totally distracted from what I was going, not able to concentrate on anything!

David’s Distraction

- We all know the story of how David became distracted on his rooftop.

- His distraction led to adultery, then murder, guilt, the death of his first-born son and the list goes on…

- Many men, and some women, face these distractions every day. We need to look at David’s life and not allow our distractions to ruin our lives.

Distractions in our Lives

- I want to take a minute and talk about distraction in our life.

- Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

- What hinders you?

- What entangles you?

- What thoughts captivate your mind?

- Where is your heart?

- Isaiah 29:13 says, “The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

- Jesus later quoted Isaiah the prophet in Matthew 15:7-8.

- It reads, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”